EFP hosts labour meeting

LAHORE: Labor officials and representatives of employers and workers pledged to improve the implementation of labor laws and the protection of workers' rights and safety at a tripartite meeting in Lahore on Friday.

Muhammad Naeem Ghaus, secretary of the Punjab Labor and Human Resource Development Department, said the department is focusing on facilitating the employers and workers in implementing the over two dozen labor laws, rather than using forceful measures.

He also urged more workers to register with the Punjab Social Security Institution, which currently covers only a small fraction of the 1.2 million registered workers in the province. Ghaus advocated for the formation of workers' unions in the construction and agriculture sectors, and requested employers to ensure that minimum wages are paid to their workers.

The meeting was hosted by the Employers Federation of Pakistan (EFP) in association with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to promote and create awareness of the ILO Multinational Enterprises Declaration (MNED), which provides guidance on how enterprises can contribute to economic and social development.

Majyd Aziz, former president of the EFP, said the employers and workers should be prime stakeholders in the formulation of the national industrial policy, which is expected to be announced by the incoming government next year.

He also recommended that the officials of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, a body set up by the government to attract foreign direct investment, should interact with the ILO constituents to ensure compliance with labor and environmental standards.

Aziz strongly advocated that the incoming government should make it a priority to ratify the ILO conventions on OSH and on harassment and violence at the workplace, which Pakistan has not yet ratified.

He further desired that the tripartite stakeholders must ensure that Pakistan becomes a role model for the world in compliance with all ILO conventions and labor standards.